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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — for sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — to rip
  10. firm — steady
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. firm — a company
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. firm — decided
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com